Exploring wines from new and emerging regions is one of the most exciting aspects for a wine connoisseur. Persistence, passion and innovation keep the winemaking industry growing and evolving, and for wine lovers that means more wine to appreciate and specialties to experience.
Whether you are traveling to experience these new regions or just appreciating them from home, there are plenty to choose from.
Southern Bolivia
Tarija, Bolivia and the surrounding villages in the foothills of the Andes along the flanks of the deep red Cinti canyon are responsible for 80% of the country’s wine, and the region is known to locals as “Bolivian Andalusia.”
The area has a Mediterranean-style climate of sunny, warm days and cool nights.
Bolivian wines have been described as wild, fruity and easy to drink and are slowly breaking into the international scene. Their uncommon style is not your typical wines of South America. Some of the vineyards are more than 300 years old and still have original vine stock from the 17th century.
Sussex, England
English sparkling wine is offering competition for Champagne from France. Its sparkling wines made mainly from chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier.
There are over 1,700 acres of vineyards across two counties and represent the largest concentration of vines in the UK. Travel to Sussex where you can learn about the intricate traditional method of making English sparkling wine at Coolhurst Vineyard in West Sussex.
San Luis Obispo Coast, California
As of March 9, 2022, the San Luis Obispo Coast was designated as a wine region in central California by the American Viticultural Area. This emerging region is home to the San Luis Obispo Wine Collective of 30 member wineries and just 5 miles off the coast.
Mainly known for its chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, the wineries enjoy the coastal air that affords a cooling atmosphere for the grapes, offering 20 different varieties.
Poland
Due to rising global temperatures, Poland has also become a thriving wine region with some impressive wine labels. Grapes that flourish throughout the Silesia, Lubuskie, Małopolska and Western Pomerania regions of the country include riesling, chardonnay, zweigelt and pinot noir.
The Netherlands
Although winemaking is not new to the Netherlands, the country’s cold climate has been historically more suitable for beer production. But due to climate change and EU land subsidies, winemaking has been recharged. Now, every Dutch province boasts at least one vineyard.
Vineyards commonly grow cold-resistant grapes like kerner, pinot blanc, riesling, gamay, pinot noir and cabernet franc.
